First of 400 Iranians deported from US sent to Qatar
Dubai — The first group of Iranians deported from the US is expected to arrive in Qatar on Tuesday to be transferred to a Tehran-bound flight, a US official familiar with the deportations told Reuters.
The US is planning to deport about 400 Iranians, most of whom entered the country illegally, as part of US President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on immigration, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday. Reuters
Hegseth blasts ‘woke’ culture at US military summit
Washington — Defence secretary Pete Hegseth assailed what he called “decades of decay” caused by policies promoting diversity and inclusion in the US military at an unprecedented gathering of military leaders near Washington on Tuesday.
“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading, and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department’,” Hegseth said as he kicked off the event in Quantico, Virginia. “But not anymore.”
Addressing the room full of America’s top generals and admirals, summoned from around the world without explanation last week, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top US general, who was black, and the Navy’s top admiral, who was a woman. He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture.
He promised sweeping changes to how discrimination complaints are handled and how accusations of wrongdoing are investigated at the Pentagon, saying the current system has top brass “walking on eggshells”. Reuters
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Trump mulls tackling drug cartels ‘coming by land’
Washington — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his administration is considering attacking drug cartels “coming by land” in Venezuela after the US military struck several boats it claimed were carrying illicit drugs from that country.
“Now we’ll look at cartels,” he told reporters as he left the White House. “We’re going to look very seriously at cartels coming by land.” Reuters
CoreWeave signs $14bn computing deal with Meta
Bengaluru — CoreWeave said it has signed a $14bn agreement with Meta to supply computing power, the latest multibillion-dollar deal as businesses ramp up infrastructure to meet the demand for artificial intelligence applications.
Shares of CoreWeave surged 10% in premarket trading following the news on Tuesday.
There has been a wave of billion-dollar deals in recent months, with many AI tech firms making investments and supply deals with each other, raising questions about “circular” financing and concerns about whether capital will continue to flow.
A surge in valuations of these companies has also sparked worries among investors about whether the AI stock boom is a bubble.
Meta has been one of the biggest proponents of AI, investing tens of billions into data centres across the US and paying athlete salaries to hire top AI software engineers while competition intensifies. The social media firm did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters
Maxim Kolupaev to lead entire Glencore division
London — Glencore has promoted its top gas and power trader, Maxim Kolupaev, to lead the firm’s entire oil and gas trading division when current head Alex Sanna steps down at the end of 2025, according to a Glencore memo to staff seen by Reuters.
Gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading often generate as much profit for trading houses as their traditional oil and fuel businesses as global LNG production grows and Europe replaces Russian gas with US LNG.
Kolupaev will lead the division in its next phase of growth, Glencore CEO Gary Nagle said in the memo.
Glencore is one of the biggest oil and gas trading houses in the world alongside Vitol, Trafigura, Mercuria and Gunvor. Reuters
South Korea and Japan unite to fight trade turmoil
Seoul — The leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed on Tuesday to work together to tackle global trade turmoil while reaffirming their commitment to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula, a South Korean presidential spokesperson said.
President Lee Jae-myung hosted Japan’s outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on a goodwill visit to highlight the neighbours’ commitment to improve once-frosty ties and co-operate more closely on trade.
“The two leaders shared the view that Korea and Japan, as neighbours and global co-operation partners with similar positions, should act together to address challenges,” the spokesperson, Kang Yu-jung, told a press briefing after they met.
The effort to resolve challenges facing the international community comes amid a turbulent geopolitical environment and trade order, she said, adding that both reaffirmed commitment to the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula. Reuters
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